The chubby man seemed to enjoy the reverent gazes from those around him. With a beaming smile, he said, "No need to be so formal..."


    The Dongyang Lady led the way, with the chubby man following closely behind. As they were about to enter the rear hall, the man suddenly halted. He turned around, his small eyes squeezed into slits by his fat as they swept over the crowd. In a calm tone, he asked, "Who is Qin Sang?"


    In an instant, all eyes in the Sacred Pce turned towards Qin Sang.


    The Dongyang Lady raised her gaze slightly.


    Qin Sang, who had been feeling disappointed, thinking that the young man with the surname Han had broken his promise, quickly bowed and said, "Esteemed Immortal, I am Qin Sang."


    The young man scrutinized Qin Sang for a moment before giving a soft "hmm." He pointed at Qin Sang and said, "Come see me after the coronation ceremony."


    With that, he turned and walked into the rear hall.


    The main hall fell silent.


    Qin Sang could feel the surprise and envy in those gazes, as well as the jealousy from the eldest prince. Even the Dongyang King, who was about to ascend the throne, stared intently at Qin Sang.Military Commander Mu approached him and whispered, "There were rumors that you saved an immortal master''s life. Are they really true?"


    Chief Commander Feng, who knew a bit more, added, "I remember that person was supposed to be slimmer, right?"


    Qin Sang, still immersed in joy, ignored the two men. Since the young man with the surname Han had not forgotten him and even sent someone to fetch him, didn’t that mean there was a good chance his request had been granted?


    After a brief silence, the pce master of the Sacred Pce softly reminded the Dongyang King, "Your Majesty, the auspicious time is slipping away."


    "Oh? Oh!"


    Only then did the ministers and officials in the hall snap back to reality. The Dongyang King quickly stepped forward, holding the imperial seal with utmost care, and ced it between the jade tablets, marking the beginning of the coronation ceremony.


    The ceremony was borate and lengthy. Later, they moved outside the hall where the officials received their titles. The whole process took nearly three hours. Fortunately, the mountain breeze was mild, and the winter sun was pleasantly warm, making it bearable.


    In the end, the Dongyang King ascended the throne and named the era Wude[1].


    Qin Sang was conferred the title of defender general[2] and marquis of Jiangzhou.


    Qin Sang epted the title with a calm expression, waiting until the coronation ceremony was over. The new emperor led the officials down the mountain back to the Jade Pce, while Qin Sang remained in the Sacred Pce, guided by the pce master towards the rear hall. R


    The Dongyang Lady, now addressed as the grand princess, had disappeared somewhere.


    Inside the hall, only the chubby young man remained, seated on a grand chair with his eyes closed, motionless, as if asleep but actually cultivating.


    As they entered the hall, the chubby young man opened his eyes, waved the Pce Master away, andzily said to Qin Sang, "Let''s keep this brief. Senior Brother Han asked me to tell you something. The path to immortality is hard to obtain, not just because of the countless dangers after embarking on it, but also because one must possess a spiritual root to cultivate. Only one in ten thousand mortals have a spiritual root. In other words, if you choose to cultivate immortality, your chances are extremely slim. However, if you remain in the secr world, the Sacred Pce will ensure that your descendants enjoy wealth and prosperity for three generations. The choice is yours."


    Qin Sang was slightly taken aback, only now realizing that cultivating immortality required having a spiritual root.


    Then, he quickly recalled that he had already cultivated the <em>Netherworld Scripture</em> to the fifth stage, which surely meant he possessed a spiritual root, so there was no need to worry.


    Still, Qin Sang asked a few more questions, "What exactly is a spiritual root?"


    "How should I know?"


    The chubby young man pouted. <em>I don''t understand why Senior Brother Han is so concerned about a mere mortal, even asking me to exin everything carefully.</em> "Spiritual roots are categorized into the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. They correspond to the spiritual power of the five elements in the world. Only those with spiritual roots canprehend the Heavenly Dao and cultivate spiritual power and true essence within themselves. Without a spiritual root, you wouldn''t even be able to sense the spiritual power in the world, let alone cultivate. Also, just because you have a spiritual root doesn’t mean our Han Family will ept you. If you possess a pure Heavenly Spiritual Root, every major cultivation sect wouldpete to recruit you, not just the Han Family. But if your spiritual root is mixed, with four or even five elements, you won’t be able to reach the Foundation Building Realm in your lifetime. Even with Senior Brother Han’s rmendation, you wouldn’t be epted into the inner sect of the Han Family."


    Hearing this, Qin Sang, who had been confident of his chances, began to feel anxious again. He asked more questions, to the point where the chubby young man became visibly impatient. Finally, Qin Sang gained a basic understanding of what it meant to be an immortal cultivator.


    It turned out that after entering the immortal cultivation path, one’s initial realm was known as the Qi Refining Realm, where one refined essence into qi. During this stage, one nurtured the primordial spirit and transformed the physical body, extending one’s lifespan by several decadespared to ordinary mortals.


    The Qi Refining Realm had thirteen stages. Once one reached the tenth stage, they could begin preparing for Foundation Building.


    Cultivators who reached the Foundation Building Realm possessed formidablebat power and were considered true cultivators in the cultivation world. Those who failed to establish their foundation were of little use to a sect.


    Whether one couldplete Foundation Building depended on both fortune and, more importantly, innate talent, which was tied to one’s spiritual root.


    True spiritual roots such as the single spiritual roots, double or triple roots, had a decent chance ofpleting Foundation Building. However, with four or five roots, known as false spiritual roots, the hope of Foundation Building was slim.


    The chubby young man exined to Qin Sang very clearly that spiritual roots were rare, with only one in ten thousand having them, and true spiritual roots were even rarer. A single spiritual root was something that appeared only once in decades, so he advised Qin Sang not to get his hopes up.


    If Qin Sang possessed a false spiritual root, he could still go to the Han Family, but he would only be able to live as an ordinary person in the outer sect. Perhaps he would live a few years longer than a mortal and have no worries about food and clothing, but it would be better to remain in the secr world as a marquis, enjoying a life of wealth under the protection of the Sacred Pce.


    But how could Qin Sang be willing to give up now?


    Qin Sang didn’t know if the <em>Netherworld Scripture</em> corresponded to the stages of the Qi Refining Realm, but he had reached the fifth stage in just five years. <em>This pace shouldn’t be considered slow, right?</em>


    <em>Doesn''t this indicate that my talent isn''t bad?</em>


    "Esteemed Immortal, I’ve made my decision," Qin Sang said solemnly, "Please test my spiritual root."


    The chubby young man had long been annoyed with Qin Sang and, upon hearing this, snorted. "Do you think the path to immortality is so easily attained? I see you’re determined to crash into the wall. Fine, extend your hand."


    Qin Sang nervously extended his hand, fearing that his talent might not be sufficient and that the chubby young man might discover his cultivation of demonic arts.


    Unexpectedly, while Qin Sang was still secretly worrying, he suddenly heard the chubby young man coldly dere, "You have no spiritual root, and are not destined for the path of immortality. You can go back now."


    Qin Sang froze. He had thought that testing for a spiritual root would involve some sort of mystical method.


    But the chubby young man had merely ced his hand on Qin Sang’s arm for a moment before quickly withdrawing it, concluding that Qin Sang had no spiritual root.


    "Impossible!"


    Qin Sang eximed in shock. <em>How could I have cultivated the Netherworld Scripture, developed spiritual power, and controlled the Purple Soul Bell and Ice Silkworm Armor without a spiritual root?</em>


    "What do you mean, impossible?"


    The chubby young man shouted angrily, "I’ve already warned you—those with spiritual roots are one in ten thousand. Even among cultivation families, those with spiritual roots are rare. No spiritual root means no spiritual root! Stop making a scene here!"


    Qin Sang’s eyes grew cold. He didn’t know how he had offended this Immortal, but it seemed the man had taken a strong dislike to him.


    Seeing the chubby young man turn to leave, pushing the door open, Qin Sang quickly stepped forward and blocked his way. "I demand to see Immortal Master Han!"


    1. Chinese era names, also known as reign mottos, were titles used by various Chinese dynasties and regimes in Imperial China for the purpose of year identification and numbering. ?


    2. This is an imperial official rank, also known as general of first rank ?